Karens are getting more and more clout — which means they’ve getting seen more and more often on social media. I wouldn’t say they’re exactly taken over. But they’re certainly getting lots of attention.
And they’re starting to travel in groups. For instance, a group of three Karens recently made life miserable for everybody who was in the Lake Charles coffee shop Common Grounds. What were these Karens furious about? The shop doesn’t serve beignets. Yes, that was the big problem they felt obliged to yell at the staff about.
Common Grounds owners Michele and Reginal Williams weren’t having it. They chronicled the episode in detail on Facebook. Read on:
“For the 3 ladies that just left, please do not ever come in my business and hurl insults to my staff. Instead, direct your insults to me, the owner.
“Now, as for you [who want] beignets, I suggest that you Google that information in order for you to be satisfied. And furthermore, it’s not ‘childish,’ as you stated [to my employees], for me to not have them on my menu …”
Why would it be childish not to sell beignets? Do I become a real adult the day I serve my first beignet? That’s sure news to me. I’m 64 and have yet to serve my first beignet. But I guess I can’t entirely eliminate the possibility that I’m still a child even at this advanced age.
Turns out the owners of Common Grounds had perfectly sensible reasons for not offering beignets. “If it is not on my menu, then I simply do not serve it, and I don’t want to serve it. I created my menu without beignets simply because I didn’t want them on my menu.
“This will be the one and only time you will hear from me on social media with this silliness.” Silliness is a good word for it. It is the hallmark of any Karen video that a full-grown adult is having a full-blown hissy fit about some sort of silliness.
The same day this incident occurred, there was a case of a Darren (a male Karen) acting out and inconveniencing people at the New Orleans airport. Former N.O. journalist Kevin Allman Tweeted, “Airport. Guy already had mini-tantrum at desk, now (in A1 boarding position) being told by separate gate agent ‘we’re not going to put up with this nonsense.’ Pray for me and all airline staff during the New Age of Adult Men Throwing Tantrums.”
So the guy at the airport used the term “nonsense” rather than “silliness.” It amounts to exactly the same thing. (Allman said this Darren claimed to have a “business select” ticket and was angry that the ticket didn’t entitle him to sit in business class. Southwest Airlines does not have business class. I wonder whether it’s childish for the airlines not to have it.)
One recent trend is that people are starting to stand up to Karens. They’re getting just as loud as the Karens; calling them out on their baseless accusations; and demanding that they leave.
If you encounter a Karen or Darren in the wild, and you want to stay where you are, start recording the incident ASAP with the camera in your cell phone. And if you feel the least bit frightened, dial 911. Don’t be concerned that you’re “bothering” the police. They’re trained to deal with just those sorts of situations. They know how to do something the Karen doesn’t know how to do: keep a calm head.
By the way, if you’re displeased because you can no longer get your favorite food at the place or time when you used to get it, look no further than Karen for the explanation. One of the main reason employees are leaving the service industry in droves is that they’re tired of being treated in disrespectful ways by customers.
Would You Like Some Police With That Order?
Up in Lafayette, the sheriff’s office had to get busy a few nights ago when a bunch of teenagers robbed a couple of pizza delivery guys at gunpoint.
I guess two drivers were on hand because the pizza order that had been called in was especially large.
Imagine the surprise of the drivers when they arrived at the home of the person who’d placed the order and saw six people wearing ski masks and carrying guns walking towards them. The gunmen (or women) wanted all the drivers’ money as well as their cell phones and some extra pizza.
Here’s a tip for all prospective robbers: don’t call the business you’re going to rob with your own cell phone and instruct them to deliver to your address. In this instance, it must have been a very easy matter for the pizza place to tell the officers where to go to recover the stolen money.
When the sheriff’s office searched the home where all six teenagers were chilling, they found a pizza delivery bag and the stolen cell phone of one of the delivery people. They found other things that were of interest: four guns, one of which had been reported stolen, and 2.5 ounces of marijuana.
Four 16-year-olds and two 15-year-olds faced a variety of charges, including illegally carrying a weapon, armed robbery, illegal possession of a stolen firearm, possession of marijuana and a couple of others.
Many cases of teenage crime inspire middle-aged adults to wonder, “What were they thinking?” It’s a question that any cop or social worker can answer. In most people, the part of the brain that makes decisions isn’t fully developed until the 20s. Those who are 15 may have no concern about short-term or long-term consequences of their actions. They’re not standing around saying, “Wait a second. We could get in real trouble for this.”
The teens in this case will have plenty of time to think over these matters as they cool their jets in the Lafayette Parish Juvenile Detention Home.
More Housing Problems
You’re likely to keep hearing about a lack of affordable housing being a drag on the local economy. In one of his recent Lake Charles Newsletters, Advocate correspondent Mike Smith focused on the city’s Section 8 housing situation post-Laura.
Smith says that of the 600 Section 8 units that existed before Laura, only 200 are presently being lived in. He states that “none of the public housing knocked out of commission [by Laura] has been permanently repaired.”
The Lake Charles Housing Authority has been able to raise enough money for roof tarping. But authority director Ben Taylor says it’s been a long, slow slog to get insurance and FEMA money for more substantial repair work.
The authority has gotten $1.5 million in insurance money for three complexes. This is enough to complete work on one complex and do roofing work only on two. (Other repairs will have to wait.)
Don’t Blame The Messenger
As the trial of New Orleans trumpeter Irvin Mayfield wound to an end, on charges of bilking more than $1 million from the N.O. library foundation, WWL reporter David Hammer found himself receiving an unexpected shout-out in the courtroom. This media event really took off when Mayfield’s attorney told the court, “The courtroom is packed. They want to see not what sentence Irvin Mayfield is going to get but what David Hammer is going to do with the rest of his life. David Hammer the reporter has been perversely obsessed with this case. Over 60 stories.”
Doesn’t sound as if Hammer is the only one who’s obsessed. One person following the case Tweeted, “David’s reporting [is] taking up a lotta real estate in this defense lawyer’s head!”
There were lots of similar jibes the next day when the New Orleans Twitter community blew up about the attorney’s speech. One armchair comedian wrote, “LEGEND.” Another opined, “Can’t believe the brazen audacity of the statement. I hope the judge scorched them on this.” And one said, “There soon will be a new defense strategy named after you.”
I don’t think so. It is common for defense attorneys who are in a tight spot to argue that media coverage of their client has prevented him from getting a fair trial. The judge is not going to scorch anybody about this. He’s heard this approach used many times.
Blaming the defendant’s plight on media coverage is a strategy of desperation. It usually doesn’t work, and it didn’t work this time. U.S. District Judge Jay C. Zainey said to Mayfield and his business partner Ronald Markham, “I’m telling you right now, gentlemen, you’re going to jail.”
Mayfield will spend 18 months in jail. He’ll also fork over $1.1 million in fines, payable at $500 a month. He should be all paid up in about 260 years.
Cameron Is Flood Central
Data related to such factors as historical storm surges and heavy rains.
Cameron Parish has, apparently, already gotten as bad as it can get in terms of flooding. But the new study found that the coastal parishes of St. Mary, Vermilion and Iberia will see increased levels of flooding in the next 30 years. For more information, go to the foundation’s Flood Factor website.
Comments are closed.